ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT The consequences of climate change constitute, at the same time, a challenge and an opportunity for our future society. Climate change adaption and mitigation, as well as reduced availability of resources can only be met with substantial advances in technology and science. In view of these challenges it can be stated that climate change is having comprehensive effects on the entire field of civil engineering. To assess the use of energy, and detect potential environmental burdens, the concept of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been developed. Different models of LCA have already been in use for specific products and processes. However, a model for application in soil bioengineering has still not been developed.
In the frame of a research project at the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna, Austria funded by the ACRP, a conceptual approach for an LCA model for the field of soil bioengineering has been developed. The focus, so far, has been on the product and the construction phase, but in this paper, the model will be extended for the purpose of simulating and analyzing the use phase of soil bioengineering constructions. Therefore, maintenance work has to be considered, as well as the service life time of the construction materials.
